Hankering in the Wrong Queue

Click the link above and read the article. This news is presenting the precise situation of the construction of depressed multinational circumstances in an economy struggling to escalate employment opportunities among the citizens in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

University Of Business and Technology (UBT) organized a job fair where 40 companies offered some 3000 employment and training opportunities. To utilize the chance, Saudis, as well as expats, reached the door knocking but while they entered and arrived at the fair, the non-Saudi job applicants realized that the offers were limited to the Saudis only.

UBT didn’t bother to mention in their event program that only Saudis will be considered for the jobs. Result? 1000 non-Saudis or expats showed up who were eager to work with the recruiting companies within 48 hours! 48 hours!!! I didn’t witness the show but like other readers and observers, imagine the peak of misunderstanding. The non-Saudi candidates would have been in the queue and when their turns finally have come, they would have been immediately rejected or informed on their faces that they are not entertaining the offer to you expats! Now read their faces and do the maths yourself. After this, the expats would have become a hurdle or an obstacle on the path of job-seeking Saudis going towards the recruiters.

With the growing tensions among the expats who are students or seeking jobs, this event can be observed in many ways:

1. There is a tremendous demand of expats from the field of business & technology who are willing to join and boost the economy. If one job fair can unintentionally fetch 1000 CVs in total from two different companies then imagine the total numbers.

2. At the very same time and location, 4000 Saudis are reported to show up which again shows how much is there a potential to generate the economic measures.

3. The article repeatedly records that the representatives of the recruiting companies in the job fair were ‘surprised’ and ‘shocked’ to see so many expats applying for the job. Their state of getting shocked and surprised is the sign of negligence and ignorance which falters the people responsible in the ministries and the administrations that they fail to notice/observe that the sweat and the blood of the expats are playing the most dynamic role in the economic progress of the country.

4. Another very important point which should be in focus after being surprised and shocked, most of the developed and developing countries who progress in their economy, do not consider the color, race, religion and the country where the job seeker belongs to. Because the candidates of any diversity are welcome to join the firm, considering the impression that they will benefit the company and the economy of the country overall. And that is how the teamwork is done.

Considering or prioritizing one national over the other in KSA or any part of the world builds disputes and rifts, brings cultural and ethnic misunderstanding, causes depression and theorizes a protest for the justice. Ignoring an individual on his/her nationality instead of considering his/her qualification, experience, work efficiency and compatibility will always bring a wrong impression. How would an expat aim to stay in the kingdom and think for the goodness if he/she is rejected for his/her not being a Saudi? And if being Saudi is must then the nationality should be granted after a minimum stay of 5 Islamic or Gregorian years. There are thousands and thousands of cases where an expat like me is born and raised here. On my 33rd year, a guy like me, after all the life spent here, is clueless about his future after reading and listening all the rules and observing the tensions created by those rules for the expats.

That is not how the country is led by prioritizing the locals and completely ignoring the expats or firing them from the jobs. A wrong example is created globally to the observers because of most of the people in America, Europe, Australia or even in India, are working and studying together as a job seeker who is eager to fulfill his/her dream/ambition to become something and a student who is aiming high with no distinction and divergence.

5. With the state of being shocked and surprised also indicates the hatred when one stated in the article, “We don’t know how they got in and who let them in”. This sounds like if the organizers forgot to fix the notice board outside the job fair that “No Beggars And Dogs Are Allowed”. Shoo Expat! Shoo!

Being born and bred here in this country, being a son of my city, Jeddah, I advocate for the employment of the Saudi men and women who hold a lot of promises in their chosen fields. I do wish that the citizens, like the expats, should boost the economy by their contribution. But but but not by cutting or firing the expats from their jobs to replace us with the Saudis but by creating employment opportunities, so the citizens and the expats can together help and stabilize the economy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

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3 thoughts on “Hankering in the Wrong Queue”

The approach by the government so far has been and will ultimately prove to be counter-productive. Instead of stimulating the economy, measures such as absolute Saudization and per-month-dependent fees will only slow down the economy. Measures should be taken to increase spending/increase employment opportunities rather than discouraging residents to spend because of the uncertainty.

Agreed 100% with the point made. The strategy thus far has been or will ultimately prove to be counter-productive. Instead of stimulating the economy and increasing employment opportunities, measures such as monthly-fees-per-dependent and absolute saudization only slow down the economy and discourage residents from spending. Rather, the focus should be on creating new positions, rather than forcing expats out and replacing them with locals

Thank You for writing this piece. Would like to share some extra points

-There is confusion at the higher level. Saudi Vision 2030 outlines ‘Job Creation’ while Ministry of Labor with Jawazat is seeking ‘Talent Replacement’. Two very different things
-Saudis with the right talent and a promising future get plucked by Ministries, Multi-nationals or Banks once they start looking for jobs, the problem is occurring with those who have barely completed their bachelors and who seek higher positions from the start (attitude). Lack of commitment is seen from those who have completed their education. 0 productivity, inefficiency, report late for duty or being absent from work without reason are still being experienced by organizations
-Your article uses false reporting from Saudi Gazette article that ‘companies’ were shocked/surprised too at the number of CVs from Non Saudis. I attended the job fair, many companies didn’t even bother to send their reps to the fair despite booking a booth(big names). Those who did send their reps, some companies like Mars & NCB clearly said that they wanted only Saudi nationals. Others like Bin Zagr group, Nestle, Saudi Brothers Group were accepting CVs from Expats without a problem

There were some companies like Unilever who had specified that they had only Sales jobs for Expats

Like Pakistanis, there is a new breed of hyper-nationalist Saudis who are being brainwashed by a very biased/racist Arabic media which shows that all sponsors are angels and all Expats are thieves, crooks, sons of satan

The day when 2 million iqama holders leave this country, this country will then understand what were the Expats’ real contribution. The signs are already there, Retail sector in major commercial cities is down by 50% mainly because of 200,000 mostly white collard Expats leaving the Kingdom for good from August 2016-present. House for Rent signs are increasing every week

Skilled Expats (especially those born/raised here) leaving KSA will prove to be the biggest Brain Drain for the country and it will take years to fill that gap